"Dad."
Eli wasn't smiling.
Instead, he was thinking.
If the easement existed, why had nobody mentioned it?
Why had the developers offered so much money for the land?
And why had the HOA been so desperate to stop him from using the road?
The next morning, Eli took the notebook to a property attorney.
Two hours later, the attorney looked up.
"You've got something here."
"What?"
"This easement."
"So?"
"It runs directly through the proposed development."
Eli leaned forward.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning they can't legally build over it."
Emma smiled.
"What about the land sale?"
The attorney shook his head.
"That's another question."
Eli looked at the old map.
Then he understood.
The developers hadn't simply wanted the land.
They wanted control of the road.
And if they controlled the road, they could make the farm impossible to operate.
Then the northern forty acres wouldn't be worth much to Eli.
But it would be worth millions to them.
Suddenly, seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars didn't look like an offer.
It looked like a bargain.
Claire came to the farmhouse that evening.
Eli opened the door.
"I need to tell you something."
He let her inside.
She looked nervous.
"I used to work for Caldwell Development."
Eli froze.
"How long?"
"Two years."
"Doing what?"
"Planning administration."
Eli's expression hardened.
"You knew."
"I knew there was a project."
"You knew about the road."
"Not at first."
Claire took a breath.
"Then I saw the original plans."
She opened her bag.
Inside was a folder.
"I copied these before I left."
Eli opened it.
There were internal planning documents.
Emails.
Maps.
Financial projections.
One document caught his attention.
The proposed development's value was projected at more than twenty million dollars.
The northern forty acres were listed as a critical access component.
Emma looked at Claire.
"They offered Dad seven hundred and fifty thousand."
Claire nodded.
"Because they believed he didn't know what he had."